After 35 years in the business Chiddingly Festival is now an established name able to attract talent from across the arts.

Just days before her sell out slot, Jo Brand was forced to pull out on health grounds only for stand up comedian, Simon Evans to step up and take her place – no mean feat for the organisers and the performer himself.

The festival has something for all tastes from a beer tent featuring ales and ciders mainly from small independent breweries in Sussex, to open houses showing a range of art from pottery, sculpture, jewellery, paintings and photographs to special events for the children.

Unique among the shows is the exhibition of Lee Miller photographs at Farley House Farm whose graphic images from the Second World War cannot fail to make an impact.

Our own personal favourites are the figurative artist Andrew McEwan at Hale Farm, landscape artist, Rebecca Trotman at the Village Works and textile artist Louise Turner-Creasey at the Quadrangle.

A full programme can be seen on excellent festival website but up-coming acts include improv and comedy act Noise Next Door with Jo Caulfield; folk outfit the Young’Uns and classical musicians The Benyounes Quartet.

Four stars